What's New
Making the Canada-wide early learning and child-care program work for everyone
Toronto Sun, September 23, 2024 Excerpt: "Debates regarding federal child-care policy have been heating up as the Liberal Party seeks to defend its $10-a-day program from various critics.While there will always be partisan debates about the best approach toward child care, what is often left by the wayside is that...
Read More >Atlantic Chamber of Commerce Professional Development Event - Why Chambers should care about the evolving early learning and care landscape
September 17, 2024 | Presentation to Atlantic Chamber of Commerce On September 17th, 2024 the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce hosted a professional learning event for their members featuring Cathy Bennett as presenter. Cathy is a business leader and former finance Minister of Newfoundland and Labrador, with over three decades of...
Read More >Expanding Public Education to Include Four-Year-Old Children - Atlantic Region ECE Initiative
Young children are waiting for early learning and child care in Atlantic Canada and across the rest of the country. This matters. As children wait, their early learning is stifled, their parents are unable to work, with the economy foregoing needed skills, now and in the future. Instead, we can...
Read More >Giving Parents Money Doesn’t Solve Child Care Problems
The Prosperity Project | September 5, 2024 The Prosperity Project’s new report, Giving Parents Money Does Not Solve Child Care Problems by Dr. Gordon Cleveland, argues why creating an early learning and child care system advantages families. and the country, more than vouchers for parents. The report makes a number...
Read More >Communities join forces to Nourish the Future of Ontario's Children
Breakfast Club of Canada, June 19, 2024 Excerpt: "Breakfast Club of Canada, Student Nutrition Ontario (SNO), The Schad Foundation and The Arrell Family Foundation are pleased to announce $3.6M in donations raised during the 2023-2024 school year for the Healthy Students Brighter Ontario campaign. The fundraising campaign builds on the...
Read More >Carol Loughrey Response to Bruce Perry’s keynote
Carol Loughrey, Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation Inc. Board Member response to Dr. Bruce Perry’s keynote at the HeadStart Gala in Moncton, New Brunswick | May 24, 2024 READ her presentation
Read More >More Access to Child Care for Families in Halifax
Government of Nova Scotia, May 10, 2024 "An investment in early childhood really is an investment in brighter futures and better societies. We are tremendously grateful for the provincial and federal government investment announced today through which we will ensure that MSVU continues to serve as the region’s go-to resource...
Read More >New Brunswick leads in early learning and child care
Margaret Norrie McCain The Early Childhood Education Report (ECER), released April 25, 2024 by researchers at the University of Toronto, shows that Canada has made great strides since the 2006 study by the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) exposed the country as a policy laggard. In the OECD’s...
Read More >Early Childhood Education Report 2023
Atkinson Centre, University of Toronto | April 25, 2024 This is the 5th edition of the Early Childhood Education Report (ECER). Established in 2011, the report is released every three years to evaluate provincial/territorial early years services against a 15-point scale. Results are populated from detailed profiles of each province...
Read More >The Early Years Study at 25
April 20, 2024, marks the 25th anniversary of the first Early Years Study: Reversing the Real Brain Drain by Margaret Norrie McCain and Dr. Fraser Mustard.Reversing the Real Brain Drain. We could not have composed a better line to capture the angst of that time. At the press launch for...
Read More >Bill C-35: An Act Respecting Early Learning and Child Care in Canada has received Royal Assent
Bill C-35: An Act Respecting Early Learning and Child Care in Canada has received Royal Assent. The Act marks an important milestone in our collective commitment to families to affordable, inclusive, and high-quality early learning and child care. It is a recognition of how critical our Canada-wide system is, and...
Read More >In most provinces, 4-year-olds aren’t at school — but it’s an economically smart way to create child-care spaces
The Conversation, January 25, 2024 Excerpt: "Economists have been increasingly vocal on the fiscal rationale for strategic investments in the early years.But how to invest wisely?In 2024, the question is urgent as provinces and territories look to the second half of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreements (CWELCC)...
Read More >Public schools can address Canada’s child-care deserts
Craig Alexander | The Globe and Mail, January 17, 2024 Excerpt: "There have been troubling developments on the child care and youth skills front. First, the share of children in care has fallen despite Ottawa reaching Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care agreements with all provinces and territories.One can understand...
Read More >Seven benefits to building down public education for younger children
Alexander Economic Views | November 30, 2023 "Given the considerable benefits to expanding early learning and the challenges in expanding licensed care, it is worth highlighting the merits of continuing to expand capacity through the public school system. This paper argues that there is considerable merit to expanding school-delivered early...
Read More >The Honourable Stephen McNeil, and Scott McCain
December 1, 2023 | Putting the Public into Early Learning and Child Care Symposium Stephen McNeil, Former Premier of Nova Scotia, and Scott McCain, Chair, Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation deliver closing remarks at the Putting the Public into Early Learning and Child Care Symposium. They announce the Foundation’s...
Read More >The solution to New Brunswick’s child care shortage can be found in our schools
Stephen McNeil and Scott McCain, November 2023 Over 3,000 children are waiting for child care in New Brunswick. This matters. As children wait for child care their early learning is stifled, their parents are unable to work, and the economy foregoes needed skills. We could eliminate that deficit fast and...
Read More >The Honourable Margaret McCain announces legacy gift to MSVU in support of early childhood
Mount Saint Vincent University, October 31, 2023 Excerpt: "Mount Saint Vincent University is thrilled to announce that The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain has made a legacy gift of $10 million to the University in support of teaching, research and practice on early childhood education.This marks the largest gift in MSVU’s...
Read More >Looking Back: Amanda Lang Interviews Margaret McCain
Read More >
Bill C-35 Second Reading
Senator Rosemary Moodie, Senate of Canada, September 19, 2023 Excerpt: "The choice of public and not-for-profit care over private care. I believe that this choice is a good one and needs to be an essential principle underscoring any national child care Program. We must recognize that there are private operators...
Read More >Children’s early learning belongs in neighbourhood schools
The Conversation, August 28, 2023 Excerpt: "The beginning of each school year brings an opportunity to reflect, for children, families and also for policymakers. Some important lessons pertain to effective ways provinces and territories can expand children’s and families’ access to early learning programs.Canada-wide early learning and child-care agreements established...
Read More >